


Dear Katherine

by Sinna



Series: Reason and Love [1]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Asexual Character, M/M, Multi, Other, there will probably be background Sprace and Specs/Romeo in future chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-06 08:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1851079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinna/pseuds/Sinna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Katherine Plumber, successful amateur reporter, gets stuck writing the advice column for her school's newspaper and ends up leading the fight when the paper is threatened by censorship. And that's not even mentioning her love life. <br/>The joys of being a senior transfer student.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Pulitzer High World

When Jack walked into Denton’s classroom, he found an unfamiliar girl sitting in Denton’s chair, doing a crossword puzzle. She looked up with a smile when she saw him, placing the crossword book and pencil back on the desk.

“Good afternoon!”

“Who are you?”

She stood up, crossed the room, and held out her hand.

“Katherine Plumber, senior. I transferred in for my last year. And you are?”

“Jack Kelly, writer for the Pulitzer High World.” He shook her hand, surprised at her strength. “You want to join the newspaper?”

“That’s right.”

“You ever written anything before?”

She laughed, and the sound was like a rainstorm. Jack liked her immediately.

“Have I written anything? My mother’s a journalist for the New York Times. I’ve been writing articles since I was five.”

“But have you actually written anything that’s been published?”

She folded her arms, and her lips quirked into a smile.

“Oh, nothing much. I created and wrote the entirety of a newspaper for my middle school, I was head writer at my last school. Oh, and a few guest articles for The Sun. That good enough for you, Mr. Kelly?”

It was Jack’s turn to laugh.

“That sounds great. Welcome to the team, Katherine.”

He slung his backpack into a chair and sat on the desk.

“What now?” Katherine asked.

“Now, we wait.”

Unsurprisingly, Davey was the next person through the door. Jack smiled.

“Davey, meet Katherine. Katherine, this is our editor-in-chief, Davey Jacobs.”

She shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Davey Jacobs.”

“The pleasure is all mine. I’m guessing you’re a transfer student?”

“I can’t quite pass for a freshman, can I?”

She flounced her hair dramatically. Davey grinned. Something clenched in Jack’s stomach.

“Not quite. Welcome to the team, Katherine.”

Specs and Romeo tumbled in next, arguing over something to do with Star Trek.

Jack introduced them. Romeo looked Katherine up and down and shot her a blinding smile. Specs clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him to the other side of the room, letting out an undignified shriek when Romeo licked his hand.

“You should thank Specs later,” Jack suggested. “He just saved you from having to endure what would probably have been the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard.”

“I can hear you,” Romeo shouted.

“I know,” Jack shot back.

Before the situation could escalate, Race dashed through the door, vaulted a desk, and slid under Denton’s desk. After a moment, he poked his head out.

“If anyone asks, I’m not here.”

Jack stifled a laugh.

“That’s Race,” he told Katherine. “It’s usually better not to ask.”

The rest of the newspaper club arrived in an almost uninterrupted wave. Jack introduced each of them to Katherine.

“Finally, another girl!” Smalls cheered.

Jack looked around the room. Almost everyone.

“Where’s Crutchie?” he asked.

“He said he might be late,” Davey offered. “Something about talking to a teacher.”

Jack nodded.

“We’ll wait.”

Moments later, as if summoned by the conversation, Crutchie appeared in the doorway.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s no trouble,” Jack assured him. “Now, shall we get down to business? Welcome to the first weekly staff meeting of the Pulitzer High World. Everyone here was on the staff last year, right? Except for Katherine, of course. So, I’ll just cover the basics. We publish a biweekly paper, and articles on the website in the case of especially newsworthy events that occur between printings, or if writers want to do extra pieces. You mostly stick to the same kind of stories, but there’s plenty of flexibility if you want to branch out. Everyone comfortable with their positions from last year?”

There was a chorus of yeses.

“Good. That makes things simple. Katherine, can you handle the advice column? ”

“Easily,” she assured him.

“Great! Well, let’s get started. We have a paper to write!”

The small group of people began chattering excitedly, discussing their plans for the paper. Jack approached Katherine.

“Hey, sorry to push this on you. I know “advice column” probably isn’t really your thing. I would have given you one of the regular reporter jobs, but Sarah, who used to run the column, graduated last year. She was pretty popular, and I can’t afford to have the position empty until Denton can convince some of the freshmen to join us. You understand, don’t you?”

The corners of Katherine's lips tugged into a smile, and Jack found himself mirroring the motion.

“I get it, Jack. Don’t worry. I’m a team player. I can handle the ‘indignity’ of writing an advice column.”

“Thanks, darlin’.”

“I will be much less lenient regarding nicknames.”

“You got it, Katherine. Anyway, we actually already have a few letters, if you want to look through them. You don’t have to answer all of them. Just pick one or two you like.”

He handed her the letters. She took them and rifled through the small stack, pausing as one caught her eye.

“I’ve got this under control.”

Jack turned to his own computer.

“Any suggestions for my article, Davey?”

“As long as you don’t try to write about me again, we’re fine.”

Jack grinned and raised an eyebrow. Davey gave him The Look.

“That doesn’t mean you don’t have to run it past me once you’ve decided.”

“Yes, sir!”

Davey groaned, then turned his attention to the idea Race had just proposed.

“It’s fine as long as you cover both sides impartially, Race. _Impartially._ ”

\--

“Okay, everyone, I need your completed articles by next meeting!” Davey shouted over the din of fifteen students packing up their bags.

“Davey, can you hang back a moment?” Jack requested.

Davey nodded.

“As long as it won’t take too long. I have to pick Les up from the middle school.”

“You’ll make it in time.”

Slowly, the room emptied, until they were alone.

“What’s up?” Davey asked.

Jack nervously avoided meeting his eyes.

“I… that is…”

“Jack, spit it out.”

He’d been planning this all summer, but now he didn’t think he could find the right words. Or maybe he didn’t need words.

Jack took a step towards Davey, and then another.

“Jack?”

Jack leaned forward and pressed his lips to Davey’s. Davey went still, and Jack pulled away.

“Davey?”

Davey remained still for several seconds. Then, he grabbed his bag and bolted.

Jack stared after him, silently cursing himself and the day he’d decided this would be a good idea.

\--

ASK KATHERINE

By Katherine Plumber

Hello, my devoted readers! Welcome to another school year. As some of you may know, the previous writer of this column graduated at the end of last year. I’ll be running the show for the year, or at least until someone wrangles a few freshmen into joining the newspaper staff.

I figured that I should use this first column to introduce myself. My name is Katherine Plumber. I’m a senior, I transferred here from Roosevelt Memorial High after my parents’ divorce, and my favorite book is The Alienist, by Caleb Carr. Journalism is my passion, and hopefully my future career. And I suppose that’s enough about me. You came here for my advice, so let’s get to that.

_Dear Katherine,_

_There’s this boy I like. I’ve been hopelessly in love with him since the day I met him, actually. The thing is, I don’t know if he likes me, and I don’t know how to ask. We’ve been best friends for ages, and for the longest time I thought he was straight. He told me recently that he’s gay, but I don’t know if that means I have a chance. I mean, he still treats me the same as always. I’d be fine with that, because he’s a great friend, but now that I know that it’s not impossible, I can’t help hoping that maybe he likes me, too. What should I do?_

Well, the way I see it, the best thing for you to do would be to talk to this guy. It sounds to me like you two are good friends. I doubt being honest with him will harm your friendship. And maybe you’ll even find out that he likes you too! As long as you don’t walk into it with unrealistic expectations or try to pressure him into a relationship, you should be fine. Best of luck!

\- Katherine

_Dear Katherine,_

_Which high school football team do you think will win the State Championship this year?_

Our team, obviously. This is the school paper. What did you expect me to say?

-Katherine


	2. Much Ado About Comics

Jack and David were acting weird. Well, weirder than usual. Admittedly, Katherine hadn’t known them very long, but at that first meeting they’d clearly been pretty close friends. Now, three weeks later, they barely gave each other the time of day. Jack would tap Davey’s desk to get his attention, and, when he looked over, turn the computer in his direction. Davey would look over the article, and nod, or offer a curt suggestion. Then they’d go back to ignoring each other. Jack seemed to have decided Race and Crutchie were his best friends now, and Davey had mostly withdrawn into himself. From what other people had said, this wasn’t normal. Smalls said she’d never seen them mad at each other for more than a day, and never like this. When they were mad at each other, according to all reports, they were vicious.

“Who can take on another article?” Davey shouted above the din in the journalism lab.

“I’ll do it!” Katherine offered.

She already had her column mostly finished, and another article for the website halfway done. She’d been getting bored lately.

“Are you sure?” Davey asked. “It’s a movie review. Captain America 2?”

“Sounds great!”

“Davey, you can’t let a _girl_ review a Marvel movie,” Romeo shouted.

Katherine jumped to her feet.

“ _Excuse me?!_ ”

Romeo flinched.

“No offense, Katherine. I’m sure you’re great at reviewing movies. But you can’t review a Marvel movie like a regular movie, you know? There’s years of comics history being reworked and condensed, and people want to hear about that.”

“And you’re assuming I can’t talk about that?! Why? Because I’m a GIRL?! News flash: girls read comics! In fact, it’s been shown that girls make up nearly fifty percent of comics fans! It’s not your exclusive boys club anymore! Not that it’s ever been an exclusive boys club. There are pictures out there of girls reading comics in the early forties. Just because the fucking industry caters to forty-five year old straight white guys doesn’t mean that accurately represents the readership! And yet somehow boys just walk around with this idea that no girl actually genuinely likes or reads comics. What are we? A different species?

“And it’s damaging! There’s this whole stupid “fake geek girl” idea, where guys are so self-centered that they think any girl who expresses any interest in comics is just doing it to seduce them. The only costumes female superheroes – and especially female villains – wear are revealing and tight fitting, and any girl who dares to cosplay her hero at a convention is almost inevitably going to be sexually harassed and accused of being a slut. And not only by fans, but by goddam WRITERS!”

She could feel her nails digging into the palm of her hand from the force of her clenched fists.

“So don’t you dare presume to accuse me of not knowing about comics based on the fact that I’m a girl! I’ve been reading DC comics since I was seven, and Marvel since I was thirteen. I grew up on Teen Titans and Batman: The Animated Series. Lois Lane has been my hero since my first Superman comic. I read all the Captain America I could get my hands on after I saw The First Avenger. Don’t you DARE tell me I can’t do this!”

She finally stopped, breathing heavily. Then entire room was silent. Then, Smalls let out a cheer.

“You tell it!”

Taking that as a cue, the rest of the room started cheering. Katherine saw Specs punch Romeo lightly on the arm.

“You deserved that.”

Romeo got up and approached her.

“I’m really sorry, Katherine. I didn’t know… well… any of that, really. You’re totally right, I was making assumptions based on things I heard.”

He looked so morose, Katherine couldn’t help but smile.

“Thanks, Romeo. No hard feelings. Just try not to do it again, okay?”

“You got it!” Romeo agreed, already regaining some of his natural buoyancy. “Um, is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

Katherine thought for a moment.

“Actually, there just might be.”

\--

“What was I supposed to do?!”

Katherine stopped in her tracks as she heard Jack’s voice projecting from an empty classroom.

Carefully, she crept closer. It wasn’t eavesdropping, she told herself. It was just investigating. A good reporter knew that anything could lead to a good story. And if it satisfied her own curiosity, so much the better.

“He just ran!” Jack continued. “I tried to give him some space, let him talk to me in his own time, and now he barely says a word to me.”

“Jack, have you ever considered that maybe he thinks you’re mad at him?” Crutchie’s voice suggested.

“I’m mad? Why would I be mad? I’m the one who kissed him!”

Katherine gasped. They were talking about Davey, weren’t they? Jack had kissed Davey?!

“Maybe because you stopped talking to him? If you kissed me and then suddenly stopped talking to me, I might think you were mad at me.”

“You wouldn’t run though.”

“Jack, could we maybe not joke about that?”

“Sorry, Crutchie. You know I didn’t mean… I’m just frustrated. I miss him.”

“I know. Everyone’s on edge. You guys have never fought like this.”

“I’m not even sure we’re fighting,” Jack admitted. “It’s more like we’re just not friends anymore.”

“He usually lets you know when he’s mad at you,” Crutchie agreed.

Katherine noticed a familiar figure making his way down the hall.

“Damn. I had this all planned out,” Jack said. “It was going to be perfect. And then-”

Katherine threw herself through the door, slamming it behind her. Jack and Crutchie, sitting on a pair of desks, looked up in surprise.

“Wha- Katherine?”

“Davey,” she told them. “That’s who you were talking about, right? I thought you might want to know he’s coming this way.”

\--

ASK KATHERINE

By Katherine Plumber, with Danny “Romeo” Springer

_Dear Katherine,_

_I love football. I go to football games with my dad all the time, and my room is actually kind of a shrine to my favorite team. There’s just one problem. I’m a girl. And I’m starting to get the feeling that no one wants me to like sports anymore. When I was little, everyone always told me how cute it was, but now people tell me I’m trying too hard when I’m wearing shirts supporting my favorite team, and guys look at me weird when I try to join their conversations. I really want to try out for the football team, but my mom wants me to try out for lacrosse or field hockey instead. She says football’s too dangerous. My dad’s even been dropping hints that I should stop coming to games with him and my brother, so they can have father-son time. What should I do? I love this sport, but I’m starting to think I should find a more normal hobby._

Hi. This is Romeo. Katherine thought I might have a unique perspective on this question, and she’s right. See, I used to think that girls didn’t read comic books. Then, someone told me that not only was I wrong, but that this idea is an incredibly sexist stereotype that is really harmful to women. And looking back I can’t believe I ever thought that. But it was so ingrained in my head that I didn’t think to question it. And there are a lot of people out there who are like me. And those people are going to be awful to you, just because you’re upsetting the status quo. But you know what? You should do what makes you happy. And if that’s football, then go ahead and try out for the football team. Support your team with pride. And if someone tells you that you can’t, tell them they’re wrong. Tell them why they’re wrong. They may not immediately change their mind, but at least you’ve given them something to think about. Good luck! I’ll be rooting for you!

_Dear Katherine,_

_I’ve started looking at colleges and I don’t know what to do. I don’t really know what I want. I’m thinking of maybe majoring in art, but I’m also really interested in science. I’ve looked at a couple schools, but none of them really jumped out at me as “the one.” What’s your advice for picking a school?_

This is a pretty relevant question, considering that I’ve been looking at schools myself. Personally, I have a very clear career path, so choosing colleges hasn’t been that hard for me. But that’s just me. It sounds to me like you want a liberal arts college, since you’re still not sure what you want to do. Just keep looking. Keep a list of things you like and don’t like about each school, and compare. I’m sure you’ll find somewhere great!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources for Katherine's comics rant:  
> http://comicsbeat.com/market-research-says-46-female-comic-fans/  
> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/08/quote-of-the-day-we-publish-comics-for-45-year-olds/  
> http://www.dailydot.com/news/tony-harris-peacock-fake-geek-girls-cosplayers/  
> http://acedavey.tumblr.com/post/79516491069/comicartcorrections-breelandwalker


	3. Let Me Confess

“Morning, Davey!”

Davey looked up with a start. Katherine was standing in the doorway, looking way too cheerful for anyone awake at seven am. Still, her enthusiasm was infectious, and Davey found himself grinning.

“Good morning! Thanks for offering to come in. I can do this stuff on my own, but it’s nice to have company.”

“Not a problem. I’d be here anyway. So, we’re distributing papers, is that it?”

Davey nodded.

“Wait, why would you be here this early?”

Katherine pulled a face.

“I’m here this early every Monday morning. My dad has weekend custody and he gets here at six thirty, so here I am.”

“Your dad’s a teacher?”

“Not exactly,” Katherine admitted.

The look on her face told him that he probably shouldn’t ask any more about the subject.

“Okay, we need about 200 papes in the cafeteria, 200 in the library, 300 in the main office, and then we leave 100 here for Denton’s classes. I’ve already got them all separated out. We just need to carry them.”

He handed her a stack of newspapers.

“We’ll start with the cafeteria.”

\--

When they reached the main office, Katherine hesitated for a moment. Then she squared her shoulders and walked in. Davey followed, confused by her seemingly inexplicable nerves.

“Where do we put them?” she asked.

Davey pointed to the empty side table in the corner. He left a stack on the table, and put the rest under the table, keeping only one paper in his hand.

“I just need to drop off a copy in Mr. Pulitzer’s office. Won’t be a minute.”

Katherine nodded.

Davey knocked on Pulitzer’s door.

“Come in!” the man called.

Davey opened the door and stepped into the principal’s office.

“I have a copy of the paper for you.”

Pulitzer didn’t look up.

“Put it on the desk. Oh, and could you send my daughter in?”

Davey paused.

“Your daughter?”

“Isn’t she with you? She said she was going to help a friend distribute papers this morning. I assumed she meant you.”

The wheels in Davey’s head were spinning. Did he mean…?

“Katherine is your daughter?”

“Not too clever for an AP student, Mr. Jacobs,” Pulitzer remarked. “Now please tell her I need to talk to her.”

Davey stepped outside. Katherine wouldn’t meeting his eyes.

“Um, your dad needs to talk to you,” he said.

Without a word, she walked into her father’s office, slamming the door behind her.

Davey waited for several minutes until she stormed out of the room, fuming.

“Come on, Davey.”

Not giving him time to respond, she grabbed his sleeve and hauled him out of the room.

“What was that about?” Davey asked.

“The usual,” Katherine groaned. “He just wanted me to be his messenger again. Mom refuses to take his calls, so he comes to me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, Davey. And, could I ask a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Can you not tell anyone about this? I really don’t want people seeing me as ‘the principal’s daughter’.”

“Is that why you changed your last name?”

She laughed.

“Oh, no. That was just because my father is insufferable and I don’t want to be associated with him. It’s my mother’s last name. She changed it back as soon as she divorced him, and I changed mine with her.”

“I can understand why,” Davey remarked.

“Davey, can I ask you something?”

He shrugged.

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you run when Jack kissed you?”

The color drained from his face. He’d been doing such a good job of pretending that never happened.

“Who told you about that?”

“I overheard Jack talking to Crutchie.”

Davey groaned.

“Of course he told Crutchie. Well, that explains why Crutchie’s been acting weird around me lately. Damn it. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Least of all him.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”

Davey shook his head.

“No. I should tell someone. I’d like for it be you. We should, um, we should sit down.”

“Is this going to be a long conversation?”

“Maybe? I’m not sure.”

“Follow me.”

She led him up a flight of stairs, to a door that Davey had passed a thousand times but never seen open. She dug a key out of her pocket.

“One nice thing about being here early. I persuaded the drama teacher to give me a key to the prop room.”

She shut the door behind them. The room was filled with anything and everything imaginable. Katherine vaulted over the back of one of the sofas, landing on the seat with ease.

“Join me?”

Davey had to step on a chair to achieve the same effect, but he had to admit that the sofa was pretty comfortable.

She smiled softly.

“Now, what do you want to tell me?”

He hesitated. He’d never told anyone this before. And he was about to tell someone he barely knew. Then again, he knew her secret. It was only fair he tell her his. And really, when it came down to it, he wanted to tell her. He needed to know how she would react.

“I’m asexual.” There. It was out there. “Do you know that that means?”

“I’m gonna guess that doesn’t mean you reproduce by splitting in half?”

Davey shook his head.

“It means I’m not sexually attracted to anyone. Ever. I don’t want to have sex. I’m not even sure I like kissing.”

Katherine tilted her head.

“So, you’re not interested in Jack? Why didn’t you just tell him that?”

Davey shook his head.

“It’s not that simple. I’m asexual, but I’m not aromantic. I’ve been head over heels in love with Jack for a long time. My mind just went blank when he kissed me. I didn’t know what to do. I ran because I needed to think. I was going to talk to him. And then he stopped talking to me. What was I supposed to think? I reject his advances, he suddenly has no interest at all in me anymore? That’s not exactly reassuring. I figured it would be best to just let him go.”

“Davey, he was trying to give you space. Let you talk to him in your own time. He misses you just as much as you miss him.”

 “Are you sure?”

“That’s what I heard him say. You need to talk to him.”

Davey reached over and pulled her into a hug.

“Okay. I will. Thanks, Katherine.”

\--

Davey was desperately trying to work up the courage to talk to Jack when Denton entered the room. Everyone looked around nervously. All copies of their paper had mysteriously disappeared from the distribution points on Friday. Now Denton was here. As the journalism teacher, Denton was technically their supervisor, but he usually let them do their own thing. Any time he actually showed up to meetings, it was probably a bad sign.

“Jack,” Denton said. “Can I talk to you in the hallway?”

Jack nodded and followed him out. The ‘click’ as the door shut behind them echoed in the silent room. Had the situation been and different, Davey knew they would all be pressed to that door, listening in on the conversation. But the sheer alien nature of this instance kept everyone in their seats, nervous glances darting around the room.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the door reopened and Jack and Denton re-entered the room. Jack, his face carefully blank, sat back down in his usual seat. Denton, frowning, made his way to the front of the room.

“Attention, everyone. I’m afraid there must be some changes to the way the newspaper is run. I am required to be present during all meetings, and final draft must be submitted to Mr. Pulitzer before printing. Also, you are advised to keep politics and attempts at investigative journalism out of the paper. Do you- Yes, Race?”

“If it’s about politics, why is Jack the one in trouble? I’m the one who writes politics.”

“’Cause it’s not one of your articles that’s the problem,” Jack snapped. “It’s the one I wrote about the budget. Mr. Pulitzer apparently didn’t take too kindly to some of the things I said. So now I’m suspended from the newspaper staff, and that issue has been pulled.”

“But everything you said was true,” Katherine jumped in to point out. “He can’t just censor the paper like that!”

“Technically,” Denton said, “he can. It’s been upheld in the Supreme Court that administrators can censor the paper if they believe that the content will be harmful or disruptive. I’m sorry, but I don’t have any control here. All the articles except Jack’s can be uploaded to the website. I’d advise all of you to forget about it and work on the next paper. David?”

“Yes, Mr. Denton?”

“You have a copy of all the articles, correct? Can you upload them to the website?”

“Sure thing.”

“And ‘all articles’ does not include Jack’s. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

Davey logged into the school newspaper’s website and started entering articles. Katherine’s movie review and advice column, Race’s passionate discourse on new voting legislation, Romeo’s rundown of upcoming school events, and so on down the list. He was entering the headline for his own article, an admittedly pointless rundown of the poll they’d run last month, when an idea struck him. He would definitely get in trouble for this. But it would be worth it.

With the press of a button, he erased all but the first few lines of the article. Stealthily glancing around to make sure Denton was still sitting obliviously behind his desk, he opened Jack’s article and copied it below those first few lines.

He adjusted the formatting so that a casual click on the article would reveal only the headline, a graph of the poll results, and the first few sentences. You’d have to scroll down to find the article. He published it, and put a link on the front page, in the space reserved for extra features.

He slipped his phone out of his pocket and typed out a quick text.

_Check the article on poll results. Get the word out._

He selected Jack from his contact list and, after a moment of thought, added Katherine. Then, he hit send and watched the recipients.

Katherine ignored her buzzing phone. Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket, and started at the name on the screen. He turned to his computer, and Davey waited with bated breath. After a minute, Jack looked up and met Davey’s eyes with a look of shock. Davey grinned. Slowly, Jack’s face lit up.

“You’re sure I can’t write that article praising your virtues?”

Davey rolled his eyes, unable to hold back a fond smile.

“And ruin your reputation for honest journalism?”

It was good to have his best friend back.

\--

POLL RESULTS: FALL FAVORITES

By David Jacobs

The results are in, and they’re not particularly surprising. Compared to the school-free glory of Summer, or the excitement of Winter break, Fall doesn’t have much going for it. But we at the Pulitzer High World knew that there had to be something enjoyable about the season. And your responses proved what everyone already knew: the best part of Fall is the promise of Thanksgiving and Halloween.

We were forbidden to publish the following article by Jack Kelly, and this week’s paper was pulled on account of it. But I am of the opinion that this article contains information more valuable to the student body than an analysis of poll results, and as such am publishing it here. Spread the article and spread the word.

– Davey

THE BUDGET SCAM

By Jack Kelly

Students of Pulitzer High School, a scandal is brewing under your very noses, and no one wants to tell you anything. No one but me…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up doing some research on freedom of speech as it applies to high school newspapers.  
> If anyone's interested, I'm including links:  
> http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/faq.aspx?id=12991  
> http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/tag/high-school-newspaper
> 
> Also, if anyone isn't familiar with asexuality and/or wants to know more, I don't have any specific links conveniently lined up, but you can leave a comment and I can either answer your questions myself or find resources to help you understand. Davey's explanation here is incredibly simplistic and if you don't know anything about asexuality I'd suggest you learn more.


	4. Chapter 4

 Katherine grabbed Jack as he was leaving.

“Let me take you out for ice cream,” she requested. “I’m sure you could use something to cheer you up.”

If there was ever a wrong time to ask Jack Kelly out, this was it. He had just been royally screwed over by her dad, and considering that he and Davey were hopelessly in love, if a bit confused at the moment, it wasn’t like she had much of a chance. But her heart fluttered every time he smiled, and if there was any chance, she had to take it. Hopefully, Davey would forgive her for this. She really didn’t want to lose his friendship.

“Dave, you up for ice cream?” Jack asked the boy next to him.

Davey shrugged.

“Sure.”

Well, so much for a date. But somehow she couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed at Jack’s cluelessness. She was just happy that he and Davey seemed to have repaired their friendship.

They walked down the halls in comfortable silence, Davey between Jack and Katherine. Katherine thought she’d never been more at ease than she was with these two boys.

“Katherine, did you see what Davey did?” Jack asked after they left the school building behind. He was grinning from ear to ear as he wrapped an arm around Davey’s shoulders.

“Did he finally tell you about-”

She stopped as Davey made frantic ‘abort’ gestures.

“Never mind,” she finished lamely. “What did Davey do?”

“Check the poll article,” Jack suggested.

She pulled up the page on her smartphone.

“What’s so- Oh!”

She took hold of Davey’s hand and squeezed it.

“That’s brilliant!”

Davey blushed and ducked his head. Katherine and Jack exchanged a look. _Isn’t he precious?_

They reached the ice cream parlor and settled into a booth with three massive sundaes.

“So what’s the next step?” Katherine asked.

“Next step?” Jack repeated through a mouthful of ice cream.

“This isn’t the end,” Katherine said. “We still have to get our message across. They have to know that they can’t censor the paper like this whenever inconvenient truths come out.”

“I think we also have to deal with the fact that they blacklisted Jack with no prior warning,” Davey said. “That’s unfair, and a much more seditious way of suppressing freedom of speech. If we’re all too afraid of the consequences, we won’t take any risks with our subject matter.”

Katherine nodded slowly and smacked Jack’s hand as he attempted to steal her ice cream.

“If they keep blacklisting people who don’t write exactly what they’re told, they won’t have a newspaper staff anymore,” Jack observed.

“That’s an idea,” Davey said slowly.

Jack took advantage of his distraction to obtain a large spoonful of mint chocolate chip.

“What’s an idea?”

“We could all stop writing until they let Jack write again,” Davey suggested. “No new articles, no paper.”

“Is the school newspaper really that important?” Katherine wondered. “Will anyone even notice if it’s gone?”

“Well, they will if everyone knows why we’re doing it,” Jack said.

“How are we going to do that?” Katherine asked.

“First, we tell the rest of the club. We can spread it through word of mouth if we have to. Preferably, we get Spot on our side. He can add it to the morning announcements.”

“What about posters?” Katherine suggested.

“Risky,” David said. “But I think we can manage it. Jack, can you draw something?”

Jack paused, another spoonful of Davey’s ice cream halfway to his mouth. Katherine seized the moment to steal some of Jack’s ice cream.

“I can do that,” he agreed finally.

“You draw?” Katherine asked.

He nodded.

“It’s just a hobby.”

Davey elbowed him lightly in the side.

“It’s not just a hobby. You’re really good!”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Davey.”

But Jack was smiling softly.

“Okay, let’s get the word out,” he said. “Davey, you have everyone’s cell numbers. Let the club know what’s up. Katherine, you have friends among the popular kids, right? Get the word of what we’re doing out to them.”

“What about you, Jack?” Katherine asked.

Jack grinned.

“I’m going to talk to Spot Conlon.”

\--

Spot Conlon wasn’t a hard man to find. Jack ducked into the teacher’s lounge off the main office and found the pint-sized maelstrom leaning against the wall with a cup of coffee in one hand.

“This is a restricted area,” Spot said. “No students allowed.”

“You’re a freshman,” Jack pointed out.

Spot shrugged.

“What are you doing here, Jacky-boy?”

“I need to get something in the morning announcements,” Jack began.

“There’s a box outside the office for suggestions.”

“This can’t go through official channels.”

Spot shifted slightly.

“I’m listening.”

“The newspaper club is going on strike to protest the fact that the administration censored the last issue. We need to get the word out if we’re gonna make this work.”

“And why should I care about your strike?” Spot asked.

“Because we’re not the only ones affected here.”

Both of them looked up to see Davey standing in the doorway.

“The announcements crew could just as easily be affected by this,” he continued. “They blacklisted Jack from the paper with no prior warning. What’s to stop them from pulling one of your kids off the crew if they say the wrong thing?”

Spot considered for a moment.

“So this is the walking mouth I’ve been hearing so much about. You’re right, Jack. He’s definitely got a brain.”

“But?” Jack prompted, hearing the word even without Spot saying it.

“But I’m taking a risk here too, Jack. I need to know you’re serious. Do you even have the entire club on strike yet?”

“Only about half of them have texted me back,” Davey admitted. “But they all say they’re on board.”

Spot shrugged.

“See, I need to see some commitment before I take risks. Prove that you’ve got something going, then we’ll talk.”

Davey looked ready to argue, but Jack pushed him out of the room.

“Well, that could have gone better.”

“That went pretty well,” Jack insisted. “He didn’t say no.”

“He might as well have.”

Jack rolled his eyes.

“With Spot, that was almost a yes. Trust me.”

“If you say so.”

Jack laughed.

“Of course I say so!”

Davey was silent for a minute.

“Jack, can we talk?”

Jack nodded.

“Yeah, that would be a good idea. I have some stuff I’ve been meaning to say to you.”

“Library?”

“Library.”

They ducked into the library and found the beanbag chairs in the farthest corner.

“So, what do you need to say to me?” Davey asked.

Jack took great interest in the books on the shelf behind Davey’s head.

“Well, um, first of all, I wanted to apologize for kissing you. I probably should have actually talked to you about it before I tried to make a move. The thing is, I like you, Dave. I like you a lot. And I guess I was hoping you felt the same way so I wouldn’t have to explain myself. I’m not good at talking about feelings or anything.”

“Jack-”

“Let me finish.”

Davey obligingly shut his mouth.

“Anyway, I just wanted to say that it’s fine if you don’t like me like that. Your friendship is so important to me, and I don’t want to lose that. I promise I won’t make this weird. I’ll never bring it up again.” He laughed. “I was actually thinking about asking Katherine to Homecoming. I’m pretty sure she likes me, and I think I could be happy with her if I gave her a chance. As long as you don’t mind?”

“Mind? Why would I mind?”

Jack tried not to let his disappointment show. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Katherine, but he’d held on to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d misjudged the situation and it had been the sudden kiss Davey had objected to, rather than the feelings behind it. Apparently not.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Davey’s eyes widened like a deer in headlights for a moment before he regained his composure.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have just run off like that. And I should have talked to you before now. Katherine said you were giving me space. I just thought you were mad at me. I assumed the worst and I nearly lost my best friend over it.”

That wasn’t what he’d wanted to say. Jack was sure of it. But right now, he didn’t want to push anything. Davey would tell him eventually.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The image in the “poster” at the end of the chapter was drawn by me. I do not have Jack Kelly’s art skills and I apologize for this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My life has been ridiculous, you have no idea, but here's the next chapter

“We should go talk to Pulitzer,” Davey suggested as they left the library, because the sooner he forgot about the conversation they’d just had, the better.

Besides, he thought with a twist of what could almost be amusement, there was no way things could possibly get worse.

Standing in Pulitzer’s office a few minutes later, facing the imposing figure of the principal behind his desk, Davey realized how wrong he was.

“What do you boys want?” Pulitzer asked, seeming more bored than anything else.

Jack and Davey exchanged glances. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to lead. With a sigh, Davey stepped forward.

“Mr. Pulitzer, we’re from the newspaper club. I’m David Jacobs, the paper’s editor.”

Pulitzer sighed.

“Oh yes, the newspaper club. I would hope that you’re here to offer an apology for your frankly shocking conduct, but somehow I doubt that’s likely.”

“We’re here to inform you that the members of the club will be going on strike until you restore Jack’s position. We’d also like the limits of our first amendment rights clearly outlined, with our input taken into consideration, so that there won’t be any future misunderstandings.”

“Bold demands for someone with blatant disrespect for authority, Mr. Jacobs.”

“Is asking for a fair deal disrespectful?” Jack snapped.

Davey could sense that he was about to snap, and maybe say something they’d both regret. He reached out a hand and gripped Jack’s forearm. Thankfully, Jack recognized the movement as the warning it was and clamped his mouth shut before he could get out whatever else he meant to say.

“I was referring to the article about the results of this month’s poll,” Pulitzer clarified.

The breath rushed out of Davey’s lungs. They’d found it that quickly? He’d hoped to have a little more time, at least. Had anyone outside their group even seen it?

“Because this is your first offense, Mr. Jacobs, your only punishment will be detention. However, I expect you to drop this whole ridiculous strike matter, before there are more serious consequences.”

Davey gritted his teeth.

“With all due respect,  _sir_ , there are no rules forbidding students from no longer participating in voluntary extracurricular activities that they have previously participated in. Or from telling other students why they chose to do so.”

Pulitzer shrugged.

“I suppose you have a valid point. However, you will have to do so in a non-disruptive manner. No speeches, no calls to action, no posters, and so on. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Davey all but hissed.

“Good.” He handed Davey a detention slip. “You have detention on Wednesday. I hope this will be the end of the matter.”

Davey accepted the piece of paper, glaring at it as if it were the source of all his problems.

—

It could be worse, Davey tried to tell himself throughout the next few days. Detention wasn’t that bad. Lots of kids got detention at least once during high school. That didn’t change the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, or the disappointment in his mother’s eyes when he handed her the detention slip. She was careful to be very supportive once he explained the circumstances, but it didn’t take a genius to know that she was worried about how this would affect his future. One detention probably wouldn’t stop most colleges from admitting him, but it could be the difference between getting a scholarship and not getting one.

By Wednesday, he was resigned to his fate. It had been worth it. The article had been taken down almost immediately, but Katherine’s friend Darcy had managed to screencap the entire thing before it was gone. A few social media posts later, the story was slowly but surely spreading itself through the student body.

He squared his shoulders and made his way to the detention room.

Jack and Race were already there when he arrived.

“Good afternoon, Davey,” Jack greeted him. “Fancy meetin’ you here.”

Davey couldn’t help the smile that made its way to his lips.

“What are you two doing in detention?”

“Race and I may have started a small fire in the third floor bathrooms,” Jack explained with an insincere air of sheepishness.

“Entirely his fault,” Race said. “But somehow they decided to punish me, too.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Davey deadpanned.

Jack doubled over laughing as Race struggled to look offended.

“Afternoon, friends!”

Albert strode into the room as if he owned the place, followed by Elmer and Buttons, who immediately took two seats in the back and began talking quietly.

Davey gave Jack a suspicious look.

“And why are they here?”

Jack shrugged.

“Ask them yourself.”

“Jack, did every member of the newspaper staff ‘just happen’ to end up in detention this week?”

“Not every member!” Jack protested.

Davey raised an eyebrow.

“Katherine didn’t.”

“But everyone else?”

“I didn’t organize anything, if that’s what you’re asking me.”

“We all came to the idea separately,” Albert said, leaning over to join their conversation.

Davey had to admit, it was kind of touching to see the support he’d inspired.

“You people are ridiculous,” he said with a laugh, as the rest of the newspaper club piled into the room one after the other.

At exactly three o’clock, the teacher walked into the room and held up her hands for silence.

“All right, kids, I think most of you know the drill. Everyone in your seats, you can talk quietly among yourselves, as long as you’re not louder than my music, and you shut up the second anyone else walks in. Clear?”

“Yes, Ms. Medda!” everyone, with the exception of Davey, chorused.

She smiled and turned on her CD player. A song Davey vaguely recognized as coming from a musical began playing.

“Who’s she?” he asked Jack.

“You don’t know Medda? She’s head of the theatre department and pretty much the greatest teacher this school’s ever had.”

“You flatter me, Jack Kelly.”

“It’s true, Ms. Medda,” Jack assured her.

“I do my best, nothing more.”

But there was a touch of pride in her smile.

“Now, stop flattering me and spill. What’s the entire newspaper club doing in detention?”

Davey expected a smart remark, maybe an insistence that the whole thing was just a coincidence. To his surprise, Jack did no such thing.

“Davey got stuck in detention for publishing an article on the website that Pulitzer had strictly forbidden published. So we all decided to join in on the fun.”

Medda shook her head in exasperation. Davey decided he liked her immensely.

“I saw the article. Excellent work, Jack. If I can do anything to help you kids, just let me know.”

Jack grinned.

“Anything for you, Ms. Medda.”

He turned his attention back to Davey.

“I took Theater 1 with her back in freshman year, just for the credit. It was the best class of my life.”

“She seems great,” Davey said.

“Oh, she is.”

—

Detention Slip

Student:  David Jacobs

Teacher: Mr. Pulitzer

Reason(s) for detention: Taking advantage of editing privileges to publish disruptive content to the school’s website in defiance of direct orders that aforementioned content not be published

-

Detention Slip

Student: Jack Kelly

Teacher: Mr. Snyder

Reason(s) for detention: Destruction of school property, smoking on school grounds

-

Detention Slip

Student: Anthony Higgins

Teacher: Mr. Snyder

Reason(s) for detention: Destruction of school property, smoking on school grounds, disrespect for authority

-

Detention Slip

Student: Albert DaSilva

Teacher: Miss Fauchelevent

Reason(s) for detention: Skipped class

-

Detention Slip

Student: Elmer Hooper

Teacher: Miss Parker

Reason(s) for detention: Playing videogames during class

-

Detention Slip

Student: Matt Willis

Teacher: Mr. Stiefel

Reason(s) for detention: Caught distributing subversive posters

-

Detention Slip

Student: Danny Springer

Teacher: Ms. Hart

Reason(s) for detention: Destruction of school property (spray painted “#siezetheday” on the side of the school building in large, hot pink letters), disrespect for authority

-

Detention Slip

Student: Patrick Cortes

Teacher: Mrs. Bowles

Reason(s) for detention: Building and using a rubber band slingshot

-

Detention Slip

Student: Ryan Carter

Teacher: Ms. Larkin

Reason(s) for detention: Hit another student with his crutch (I’m aware this would normally be grounds for suspension, but it was in defense of another student who was being bullied, so really I think even detention is too much. Besides, Morris will probably be fine. Might knock some sense into him.)

-

Detention Slip

Student: Emma Small

Teacher: Mr. Warbucks

Reason(s) for detention: Student was wearing a strapless top and refused to change or cover her shoulders with a jacket. While her feminist defense of her actions was impressive, it doesn’t change the fact that the rules are the rules.

-

Detention Slip

Student: Henry

Teacher: Ms. Upland

Reason(s) for detention: Henry was eating in class. When confronted, he said, “It’s okay, I have enough for everyone,” and proceeded to hand out small bags of chips to the entire class.


End file.
